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ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVES The overall aim is to evaluate candidates’ achievement of the learning targets and objectives of the curriculum detailed in the New Senior Secondary Curriculum and Assessment Guide for English Language (Secondary 4 to 6) The assessment objectives are the same as the broad learning outcomes as stated in Chapter 2 of the C & A Guide

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RATIONALE FOR GRADED APPROACH Cater to the needs of candidates with a wider range of ability in NSS Improve discrimination of assessment More effective use of exam time Beneficial backwash on teaching and learning

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PAPER 1 READING Written texts of varying lengths and levels of difficulty Different question types including multiple-choice items, short responses and more extended open-ended responses Sample questions

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PAPER 4 SPEAKING *for private candidates only Part A Group Interaction Discussion based on a given short text Preparation:10 minutes; discussion: 8 minutes Texts may include advertisements, book synopses, film reviews, news reports, letters etc. Candidates required to make suggestions, give advice, make & explain choice, argue for or against a position, discuss pros and cons of a proposal etc.

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PAPER 4 SPEAKING *for private candidates only Part B Individual Response Candidates respond individually to an examiner’s questions Questions based on the discussion task One minute per candidate Candidates required to make and justify a choice, decide on and explain a course of action, argue for or against a position etc. Sample question

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SBA COMPONENT *for school candidates only Part A This will consist of a reading/viewing programme where students will need to : read/view six texts over the course of three years (at least one each from the four categories: print fiction, print non-fiction, non-print fiction and non-print non- fiction) write up some comments and personal reflections take part in discussions with classmates on what they have read/viewed make individual presentations on the texts they have read/viewed and respond to their teacher’s questions

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SBA COMPONENT *for school candidates only Part A Assessment based on students’ oral performance Teachers need to conduct three assessments in S5 and S6 and report three marks for this part At least one mark based on group interaction and one on individual presentation

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SBA COMPONENT *for school candidates only Part B Group interaction or individual presentation based on modules in the Elective Part Focus on students’ ability to reflect on, make use of and speak about the knowledge, skills and experience gained in the Elective Module(s) Assessment based on students’ oral performance Teachers need to report one mark for this part at the end of S6

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SBA COMPONENT *for school candidates only List of recommended texts will be provided for teachers’ reference Texts of a range of difficulty levels included Teachers/students can choose to use any appropriate texts according to the text selection guidelines provided SBA marks awarded by teachers will be moderated statistically, using public exam marks as reference

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RATIONALE FOR SBA OF SPEAKING Not reliant on a ‘one-off’ oral exam Improves validity of oral English assessment Improves reliability of oral English assessment Beneficial backwash on teaching and learning Professional development for teachers which empowers them to become part of the assessment process

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STANDARDS-REFERENCED REPORTING Levels 1-5, with Level 5 being the highest and Level 1 the lowest Levels 5* and 5** will be awarded to provide finer discrimination at the top end Descriptors spell out the standards required for different levels of performance Examples of assessment tasks and samples of typical performance to illustrate the requirements of different levels

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STANDARDS-REFERENCED REPORTING Cutting scores for each level set by a panel of subject experts with reference to level descriptors and samples of candidates’ responses Information on standards derived from a secure monitoring test will also be used to ensure consistency of standards across years Number of candidates awarded a particular level depends on the actual performance in that year

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TASKS AHEAD Final round of consultation on HKDSE English Language in early 2008 in the light of the 2007 HKCEE experience Sample papers to be developed and piloted in 2008/09 Descriptors to be developed with reference to 2007 HKCEE and ASL Use of English standards International benchmarking